Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Student-athletes from Vermont Athletic Academy brought their mindfulness practice to Burlington’s waterfront last week to volunteer with Healing Winds Vermont on behalf of cancer patients and their families.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont is organizing a free, online cannabis speaker series featuring five academic experts in medicine, botany, business, and policy. The series, presented by UVM Continuing and Distance Education and the UVM College of Medicine, will be May 25, June 8, June 22, and July 13. Featured speakers—all from UVM—include Monique McHenry, PhD, Karen Lounsbury, PhD, Kalev Freeman, MD, PhD, Wolfgang Dostmann, PhD, and Willy Cats-Baril, PhD.

“We strive to deliver accurate and up-to-date information to the public regarding the safety and effectiveness of medical cannabis as treatment for a variety of symptoms,” said Lounsbury, a UVM professor of pharmacology who co-directed Pharmacology 200: Cannabis Past, Present and Future (PHRM 200)—the first medical school cannabis course of its kind in the nation

Vermont Business Magazine Famed author Gail Sheehy spun out a commencement address to the University of Vermont's Class of 2016 that transported her audience back to the UVM alumna's own college days in the late 1950s, put them on the presidential campaign trail in 1968, and dared to ponder the essential definition of humanity in our technological age. Putting a new spin on French philosopher Rene Descartes' famous phrase "I think, therefore I am," Sheehy told the grads, "Today, we may better define what sets us apart as humans with a different declaration: 'I care, therefore I am.' Caring may be the key to establishing the unity of mankind."

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) announced tdoay that it has approved financing of $6.8 million to help Vermont economic development projects totaling $21.4 million move forward. “VEDA is pleased to help Vermont businesses and farms bring their startup and expansion plans to fruition,” said VEDA CEO Jo Bradley.  “The breadth of economic development projects approved for VEDA financing is impressive, covering everything from manufacturing to farm projects, small business startups and energy generation projects.”

Loan approvals by VEDA include:

Vermont Business Magazine In response to reports of Governor Shumlin’s Administration trying to transfer exempt appointees into full-time classified positions, Lieutenant Governor Scott, Senator Joe Benning (R-Caledonia) and Representative Don Turner (R-Milton) wrote the following letter  to Vermont Department of Human Resources Commissioner Maribeth Spellman requesting an immediate halt to any such action. In their letter dated today they write: "We write to share our concerns that an attempt to re-classify positions in order convert the current Governor’s employees into full-time, classified positions is outside the scope of good government. The next Administration—whether Democrat or Republican—should make these decisions in cooperation with the new Legislature."

LETTER

May 23, 2016

Maribeth Spellman

Vermont Department of Human Resources

120 State Street

Montpelier, VT 05620

Vermont Business Magazine The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Monday it has awarded 19 essential community anchor organizations with more than $8 million in direct loan, guaranteed loan and grant funding. Vermont and New Hampshire USDA Rural Development State Director Ted Brady announced the recipients during a ground breaking for an expansion of the Poultney Public Library, which received a $50,000 grant.

“These loans and grants will help towns and non-profit organizations provide essential community services, including emergency medical services, education, and public works,” said Brady. “The investments vary from multi-million dollar modern wood heat systems to a few thousand dollars to help a small library install new insulation. The essential community facilities receiving funding this year will help make rural Vermont a safer, more sustainable and more vibrant place to live and work.”

Vermont Business Magazine Heidi Scheuermann (R-Stowe) announced today that she will run for re-election to the Vermont House of Representatives. Scheuermann had in past years considered a run for statewide office. She said there is much work to do in Montpelier in regards to state spending and management. With a new governor, lieutenant governor, Speaker, and Senate president coming in, as well as several new legislators, Scheuermann said she's looking forward to working with the new leadership.

Heidi Scheuermann

Vermont Business Magazine With important Obamacare provisions that ensure no-cost birth control for women being challenged nationwide, Governor Peter Shumlin today signed a law to codify and expand access to those services in Vermont law. Importantly, the law will ensure that vasectomies for men are available with no charge, making Vermont the first state to extend no-cost birth control protections to men.

"While Republicans in other states and the US Congress are working to roll back reproductive rights, I am proud to sign this law to expand them," Gov. Shumlin said. "This law will ensure that Vermonters will be protected from efforts to undermine important birth control provisions in the Affordable Care Act. And Vermont will now be the first state to make it easier for men to be involved in birth control decisions. Once again, Vermont is leading the way on reproductive rights."

by C.B. Hall Vermont Business Magazine With a frustrating ski season receding into the past, Vermont's tourism sector is turning attention to how well it will fare as the rest of 2016 unfolds. Were there underlying factors this winter, beyond the weather, that are poised to take a bite out of summer travel, too? Or will tourism rebound as the gray landscape takes on a vernal green?

by Mike Smith Being a US senator is a heady job. It provides stature, power and privilege that few Vermonters will ever enjoy or can even relate to. In fact, it is such a lofty position senators are often insulated from the public and media by large staffs and the considerable geographic distance between the home press corps and their official duties. As a result, US senators can become easily annoyed when challenged or just routinely questioned by the media, a constituent, or even a political opponent, and sometimes can lose sight of what is the right thing to do. This seems to be the case with Senator Patrick Leahy and the call to release his EB-5 emails.

Senator Leahy — who has written numerous endorsements of the media’s “Sunshine Week” to promote government transparency — flatly refused a request by his presumptive general election opponent, Scott Milne, to release all of Leahy’s (and his staff’s) emails related to the federal EB-5 program.

Vermont Business Magazine On Thursday, May 12th more than 325 business and nonprofit leaders, legislators, students, state employees, and activists came together for a day of education around socially responsible practices in the workplace. Gathering the LEED certified Davis Center at the University of Vermont in downtown Burlington, attendees of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility’s (VBSR) 26th Annual Spring Conference experienced a robust and varied agenda.